The slippers, curiosity and desire,
buff the polish of exurban floors
for the ancient arrogance of newspapers
stinking of violence and retaliation.
The dog, kicked from the yard
to the lots of a city’s shelter,
foraged beaches with friends and fauna
before the perverted questioner.
The pipe, for example, the loot of this victor,
carries the peace of one relieved
and content to impress accidental facts
with the color and volume of Sunday comic strips
for the memory of other gullible travelers
who grow miles into their contempt for nature.